In my previous post, I talked about how edutainment can be traced back to at least the 1700s, when Ben Franklin launched Poor Richard’s Almanac.

In the 1980s and 90s, edutainment was mainly associated with computer games and children’s learning – and today children continue to be a sizeable edutainment audience.

But edutainment is far more varied than just children and games.

Today, examples of edutainment can be found in online courses, TED Talks (technology, entertainment, design), networks like HGTV and PBS, museums, amusement parks, training programs, and even churches.

In its “Top Ten Entertainment Trends for the 21st Century,” the Institute for Global Futures predicted that Edutainment “will offer a new genre of programming that will be greatly in demand.”

Edutainment’s growth can be attributed, at least in part, to a change in attitudes about leisure time.

More and more, relaxing and being entertained without any real learning or purpose in mind is being replaced by using time off to acquire new skills, or for personal enrichment. That shift in attitude has opened new doors of opportunity for marketers.

By its very nature, edutainment imposes a high standard for its creative.

Having a comprehensive understanding of your target audience and sharing those details with your creative teams will enable you to achieve success in this growing niche with effective creative content that resonates with your target audience, engages, entertains, and educates.

As new competitors enter the marketplace, the creative bar is only going to go higher.

For help with your edutainment creative projects contact The Lawnsby Group.